1. Field of the Invention
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application No. 09/134,285, filed Aug. 14, 1998. The present invention relates to a method of accounting for player's wagers, jackpots, and awards on a network of gaming machines, and more particularly to such a method that facilitates cashless play of the gaming devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are several prior art systems implementing cashless gaming on electronic gaming devices, such as slot machines, that are connected to a host computer via a network. Such systems typically require a player to open a cashless gaming account with the casino prior to playing. The player must appear before a casino cashier who creates a player record on the host computer, receives an initial deposit from the player, and enters the deposit as a credit in the player account. The cashier also issues a cashless-wagering card to the player, who is now ready to begin cashless gaming.
The player selects a slot machine on the casino floor and inserts his or her card into a card reader associated with the slot machine. Each of the other slot machines also include associated card readers. Most prior art systems incorporate a security feature, such as a personal identification number (PIN), that must be satisfied before the system permits the player to draw on the credit in the account. In these prior art systems, the player enters his or her PIN on a keypad associated with the slot machine and card reader after insertion of the card. When the security feature is satisfied, the amount in the player's account appears on the display associated with the slot machine. The player may then draw on the account by initiating commands at the slot machine that transfer credits from the account to the slot machine. As the player transfers money from the account to the slot machine, the credit in the account decreases. If the player should be the recipient of a jackpot or other award at the slot machine, the conventional credit meter on the slot machine increments to add the jackpot or award to the balance on the credit meter.
When the player concludes playing, the balance is transferred from the credit meter to the player's cashless-wagering account responsive to a command initiated by the player. The player then withdraws his or her card and leaves the balance in the account for placing wagers on one of the slot machines at a future time, which may be a few hours, a few days, or longer.